Daniel Colindres '18 Recruiting Profile

My name is Daniel Colindres and I am eighteen years old. I was born in Inglewood, CA. at Daniel Freeman Hospital the day before Valentine's day. My mom had me when she was sixteen years old; She told me that during birth I got my umbilical cord wrapped around my neck, fortunately, the doctors were able to save my life. Though I had no idea, that wasn’t my first time overcoming deadly obstacles. As a young Hispanic male growing up in a neighborhood with little expectation of succeeding in life, failure just isn’t an option for me. I’ve grown up in Leimert Park my entire life and I’ve seen how easily drugs, gangs, and poverty have brought down other young boys and my own friends over the years. By now, statistically speaking, I should have repeated a grade and by age 20 I should be incarcerated. But I have not been that statistical hispanic male because I am determined to be who I want to be, a successful Latino man. For the past seven years, I’ve attended school out of my area and currently attend Palisades High School. In some ways, I am your typical hispanic male born to a teen mother; My father left me at the age of four, my stepfather has been incarcerated for more than half of my life, and the only role model growing up has been my mother. And though my day to day life hasn’t been picture perfect, I have grown to believe there is beauty within every struggle.

As a high school athlete, not only is playing college soccer a major key to my success as an adult, but also a dream I wish to achieve. Having been a “late bloomer” into the sport, I learned early on about dedication and grew to truly love the sport. I have learned to play with integrity, humbleness and respect. I play every game with intensity, passion, and vision. I have been on that bench before and today because of that, I am hungry for success in the sport. I know I have a lot of good qualities to offer a team both on and off the field. While in college, I want to excel above expectation. I want to major in Kinesiology for undergrad and then continue my education to become a Physical Therapist. I want to experience playing college soccer and earn an education so that I can give back to my community and offer guidance to other young athletes like myself.

Growing up my mom always ingrained the importance of taking care of my little sister which forced me to mature much faster. I had to be more aware of my surroundings and “quick on my feet.” I hated having to always look after her, but now I see how that life experience has changed me as a player. I have learned to communicate well which helps as a defensive player. Communication is key on field and can make or break a team. Having the ability to think quick and make safe decisions helps minimize errors. Caring for my sister has taught me that through thick and thin, no matter what, you always take care of your own; And being on the field is no different.

Not only do I believe that I am a good soccer player, but off the field I am an excellent student. Typically, athletes are not supposed to do well academically, however, I have done well thus far. I have learned to work harder, manage my time, and prioritize tasks in my life. I believe I am a young man with character who has learned to bond with others over the sport. Not only do I believe that I have great sportsmanship, but I also know that my mentality as a young Latino male is much different than other males my age. I am who I am today because of where I come from and what I’ve lived through. My brain isn't set to fail; I refuse to accept it and the truth is that I will not settle for less, only more than promised.